Paul MacLean will remain behind Senators’ bench: Melnyk

Ottawa Senator head coach Paul MacLean addresses a press conference held following exit meetings with players at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa following the end of their season.Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk confirmed that head coach Paul MacLean will be back behind the bench next season, but he was vague on the future of captain Jason Spezza.

Melnyk, speaking in a conference call with Ottawa-based reporters Tuesday, answered a wide-ranging assortment of questions on everything from his disappointment at missing the playoffs, to increased revenues stemming from new broadcast deals, to his belief that the best way to find success is internally, rather than spending lavishly on free agents.

First and foremost, he provided a sense of security for MacLean, while acknowledging that the head coach had “a bad year,” like so many others.

“Paul is our coach, he’s going to be our coach going into next year,” said Melnyk, who suggested that there could be other changes within the coaching staff and hockey operations department.

While he cleared up MacLean’s status, the water is still muddy as far as Spezza is concerned.

“Jason understands what his role was and is,” said Melnyk. “He’s a professional and understands that he could be here today and gone tomorrow, or he could stay long term and be with the team for many years. (His future) is dependent on what other pieces we need to put together.

“He’s one of 20 plus players. You can’t put it all on his shoulders.”

Spezza has one year remaining on his contract and has a no-trade clause, but the team would be reluctant to go into the final year of his deal without having a long-term contract in place, risking losing him for nothing when he becomes a free agent in July, 2015.

For all the bleakness from the on-ice disappointment — Melnyk’s deepest frustrations came when the club lost to struggling clubs such as the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames — he painted a happy picture about the business side of the operations, claiming the team is on sound financial ground.

He says the NHL’s new broadcast deal and the club’s partnership with Canadian Tire are positives. At the same time, however, Melnyk says that doesn’t mean he’s going to spend to the NHL salary cap. He insists the best avenue to success is spending money “behind the scenes,” scouting properly and on developing players from within.

“It’s very, very easy to increase payroll,” he said. “Any idiot can do it. Lots of idiots do.”

Melnyk insists the best “bang for the buck” is on creating excitement in having players progress from junior to Binghamton of the American Hockey League to the NHL.

“There’s a graveyard of players who are on seven year contracts at $7 million a piece,” he said. “You don’t just spend money because you have it in your pocket.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Market to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.